


Reunion

by Babs_Lou



Category: How to Get Away with Murder
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-12
Updated: 2020-01-22
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:41:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22219462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Babs_Lou/pseuds/Babs_Lou
Summary: Alternate resolution after Frank disappeared at the end of Season 2.  What I wish had happened instead.  I wrote this while I was waiting to find out what actually happened in Season 3.  So there could be some Season 1 & 2 spoilers.  I wrote most of it then and just now finished.  Was trying to decide if was worth fleshing out or if I should come up with something different based on the current Frank/Laurel status now Season 6.  But I can always still do that!  I haven’t published anything online for over 15 years!  Let me know what you think!
Relationships: Laurel Castillo/Frank Delfino
Comments: 3
Kudos: 22





	1. Chapter 1

Her hear skipped a beat when she realized Frank's apartment door was open. She slowly opened it not wanting to believe what she feared. As she called out his name with no response she told herself over and over that he was ok, but where was he.... Had someone broken in?? Had he done something to himself?? No... No... He couldn't.. He had to be ok.. 

She held her breath as she opened his closet door, the last place he could possibly be... Not there! She breathed a sigh of relief and silently thanked God. But something still wasn't right... The closet was empty. The apartment was empty. Frank was gone.

————————————————————————

This couldn't be happening. Fear turned to anger. How could he do this?! How could he just leave without saying a word to her? He told her he loved her but now he's just gone?! Without a word, not a note, no clue to where he might have gone.  
And it was her fault. She closed her eyes as her head started pounding. She outted him to Annalise without even realizing it. And so he disappeared? 

He was stronger and more capable than any man she'd ever known. But he couldn't face Annalise.  
Why? 

Laurel couldn't understand it. She'd thought that it was Annalise that had asked him to do it. But it wasn't... 

So it must have been Sam? 

It was Sam.... 

Why would he do it for Sam? Why would he help him hide what he'd done from Annalise who he was so fiercely loyal to? 

Frank had wanted to explain it all to her. But she wouldn't listen. She couldn't. She was afraid if she did she may actually understand why he did it and it didn't matter. She couldn't be with someone like that... Someone who would murder a young pregnant girl just to hide someone else's sin.  
And now she didn't understand what the hell was going on, except that Frank was gone, and she didn't know if she'd ever see him again.... Ever hear his voice again... Ever feel his body pressed against hers again... 

She poured a glass of his scotch and took a drink. The burn was comforting. She had to focus on what to do now. Just because she couldn't be with Frank didn't mean she didn't care about him. She knew it would be useless, but tried calling him anyway. She called over and over and each time it went straight to voice mail. 

Think Laurel, think. 

She needed to make sense of this if she was going to figure out what to do next. She cursed herself for not giving him a chance to explain. More than once he'd tried, but she wouldn't hear it. And now he was gone and none of it made sense. Annalise didn't even know it was him. But she did now... 

Did he think Annalise would turn him in? There was only one place to find answers. She left his apartment and drove to the Keating mansion. She didn't give a damn what frame of mind Annalise was in. She needed to know what the hell was going on.


	2. Chapter 2

As she drove she kept thinking back to the night he confessed it all to her. How she'd pushed him for the truth, how she'd wanted to know him completely, but how she'd hoped she was wrong about the feeling she'd had - the feeling that he'd done something terrible that he was keeping from her. And what he told her then was the worst thing she could have imagined. She still didn't want to believe it was true. But more than all that she felt guilt. He had told her exactly what she begged to know and in return she basically told him he wasn't good enough for her, that she couldn't forgive him, that she couldn't love him. 

But she never imagined this. And now... Would that be his last memory of her. Would she ever have a chance to tell him all the good she saw in him, what she did love about him? Would she ever have a chance to hear his side and maybe, just maybe, be able to forgive him? 

She didn't know if she could be with him after knowing the truth. But she didn't want to imagine her life without him in it either. And if it had to end between them, then so be it, but not like this. Not with him thinking she didn't love him. 

She parked the car and entered the house.  
______________________________________

She could hear muffled voices upstairs and followed the sound. As she got closer she could tell it wasn't a friendly conversation and started walking more slowly trying to make out the words. It was Annalise and Bonnie. Perfect. If anyone besides Frank could explain this to her it was these two. She wondered if they knew he'd left.

"I don't give a damn what reasons he had! He was a grown man and can make his own choices! The blood is on his hands." She heard Annalise say. Truly Laurel couldn't agree more. 

"But Annalise you know it's never that simple. Every day of your life you think of ways to excuse people for their actions. You think of ways to blackmail people. You know how powerful that can be. How they have no other choice." Bonnie was pleading with her. 

But it didn't make sense. Why would Annalise care so much about this girl who had cheated with her husband? 

"I don't care. He's dead to me. And trust me, that's better than the alternative." Her voice was colder than laurel had ever heard it before. 

"Annalise he did it all for you. It was always for you. You have to know that."

"Shut up or I'll shut you up!" 

Laurel decided it was time to make an appearance. 

"Is there some kind of problem?" She tried to act confident. Annalise looked mad enough to choke her and Bonnie quickly went from looking small and afraid to angry. 

"Don't play stupid Laurel. We aren't idiots. I don't know why you're here but you and Bonnie can both just get the hell out. I have nothing to say to you."

"Fine." Bonnie said and turned to go.

"I'm not going anywhere." Laurel said.

Annalise opened her mouth to speak, but Bonnie had already grabbed Luarel's arm, quite painfully, and said "let's go Laurel," Laurel started to object but Bonnie twisted her arm and silently muttered "trust me", then loud enough for Annalise to hear "nothing good can come from talking to her right now." She looked up and made eye contact with Annalise as she walked out. Laurel gave in and let Bonnie drag her from the room.


	3. Chapter 3

He stared through the window, watching the rain drops running down the glass. He couldn't stop thinking about all of it. All of the decisions he'd made in the last 15? years and how they'd changed his life.

But mostly he thought about Laurel, about how he wished he'd met her just a year sooner and how different things would be now. She had changed him for the better, made him want to be a better man, to somehow be worthy of her. She was so different from any of the women he'd ever been with. She was beautiful and smart, but more than that.

He couldn't quite figure out what it was about her that made her different. She wanted to do good, to help others, despite how it might hurt her. Maybe that was it... She came from a past like he did, but she was trying to rise above it and succeeding. He admired her for it. And how could he not love her? Without realizing it she had given him some small hope that maybe he could still rise above it all. If only he'd met her sooner.

But it was too late for him. And too late for them. He couldn't take back what he'd done to that poor girl and the unborn child that he hadn't known about. 

How could Sam do this to him? Frank knew that the first time was his fault, but now another baby? He raked his hands through his hair. If he'd known the truth he never would have... And if he'd known Laurel then the way he knows her now.... He never could have done this to her. But it was too late.

So here he was alone with his thoughts. No cases to be worked. He wasn't used to sitting around doing nothing. But he was used to trying to block things from his memory.

So he poured another glass of scotch and tried to forget. Tried to only think of the good things, even though he may never have them again: The feel of Laurel's lips on his. The way she looked at him when she was truly happy, or whenever he put himself on the line to help her and the others. He'd do anything for her.

He loved her so much it hurt. He thought maybe she could love him despite what he'd done. But he let out a broken laugh. Who could love him after what he'd done. And now what...


	4. Chapter 4

There was a knock on the door.

Laurel moaned. She wasn’t ready to face the day or reality again just yet.

“Open up, Laurel.” It was Bonnie, sounding slightly annoyed. 

“Go away.” 

“We need to talk. About Frank.” 

Laurel groaned again, but rolled out of bed and slowly walked to the door and opened it. Bonnie walked in and folded her arms.  
“So what did you say to him?”

“What?” Laurel was even more annoyed than when Bonnie knocked on the door. 

“What did you say to him to make him think this was his only option? Laurel, you think you are so much better than the rest of us, and you’ve made Frank believe it too.” 

“Just get the hell out, Bonnie. Frank’s a big boy and makes his own choices. It’s about time he took some responsibility for them. I don’t need this. Get out.”

Bonnie looked down and took a deep breath. She needed to put her feelings aside. And Laurel wasn’t wrong...  
“Look I’m just worried about him. And I need to know how bad this really is, so that I know how worried I should be.”

Laurel couldn’t make eye contact either.  
“I asked him to tell me the truth. All of the truth. And he did. He told me he loved me. I told him that I didn’t love him.”

Bonnie swore under her breath and kept herself from responding too quickly.  
“You know he’s never cared about anyone the way he cares about you?” Laurel looked up at her then. “And to have a man like Frank love you... and to dismiss him like that... you‘re such a child, Laurel.”

“Are you finished?” The words stung. Laurel had been thinking about nothing else since Frank disappeared. She didn’t need a lecture right now.

Bonnie walked to the window. “Do you care about him at all?” 

“Of course I do. But I can’t look past what he did. He murdered a girl who was already taken advantage of by Sam Keating, and while she was pregnant! He might as well have been one of my father’s hit men. And he kept it all from me all this time. How can I ignore all that?”

“Look how you reacted. He was afraid you didn’t love him enough to know the truth, and he was right.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to understand. You have the same sick allegiance to Annalise. I really don’t know why you’re here, but it’s time for you to leave.”

“Bonnie ignored the insult. I came here to tell you more. To tell you what would make Frank do what he did.”

“Bonnie, it’s obvious. Annalise has some sick hold on both of you, and he’d do anything she asked.” 

“It wasn’t Annalise.”

Then Laurel remembered. It wasn’t Annalise... It was Sam. 

“Oh right, so Sam had the same sick hold on you both. That’s so much better.” She said dryly.

“I don’t know why Frank put up with you as long as he did. You are always such a pain in the ass.”

“You know where the door is.” Laurel said with a forced smile.

“Look Laurel, Sam had something over Frank that made him feel like he’d never have a choice, no matter what he asked.” 

Laurel did want to know, even though she hadn’t wanted any excuses from Frank. After finding out it wasn’t Annalise that ordered Lila’s murder, she kept trying to reconcile it in her mind. She had thought maybe he chose to do it voluntarily in some way thinking he was doing it for Annalise. 

“Sam saved Frank from life in prison when he was just a kid. He gave him a fresh start, an opportunity to use his skills for something worthwhile.” 

Laurel huffed, “oh yeah, doing Annalise’s dirty work.” She rolled her eyes.

“Yeah Laurel, that’s right. And it helped a lot of people. You included. So quit acting so high and mighty.” 

Laurel softened a bit. Bonnie was right...

“Frank was loyal to Sam. Annalise didn’t treat him any better than how she treats all of you. And Frank still had a lot to learn back then.” 

Suddenly Laurel wasn’t sure she wanted to hear anymore. She wanted to know. But she wanted to hear it from Frank. 

“Bonnie just stop.”

“Fine Laurel, forget it.” Bonnie went for the door.

“No I mean, I don’t need to hear this. Just... please help me find him?”

Maybe she wasn’t a complete idiot after all.

“Ok.”


	5. Chapter 5

It had been three months and Bonnie was out of ideas. Laurel had lost count of how many hole in the wall motels she had gone to hoping to find him. Annalise refused to help her. At this point she was actually considering asking for help from her father. She thought Frank would always be there for her, but he had just left….

She had been staying at his place all this time. Sleeping in his shirts. She kept trying to call him. She left him message after message, alternating between asking him to call her, to come back, and yelling at him for being a coward and running away. She had even told him she was sorry and resorted to begging most recently. Still nothing...

She never told him she loved him. She didn’t want to admit to herself that maybe she still did. He had devastated her when he told her what he’d done. And then he’d broken her heart when he left. And each time he didn’t pick up his phone it crushed another small piece of her. 

She wasn’t sure if she should be angry or scared. How could he leave her like this when he was the one that screwed up?? But what if he wasn’t ok? What if someone had hurt him…or worse?

She knew at least someone must have his phone because it would still ring. She hadn’t tried anything desperate yet. She really didn’t want to lie to him. And her pride had hoped he’d come back without her having to go to such lengths. Or at least that he’d call her just once. But she had to try everything she could before going to her father. 

She called him one more time. No answer. Voice mail:

“Frank, it’s me. I screwed up and... I’m in trouble. I need your help. Please Frank... I need you. If you’re alive, I need you to call me. I’m scared.. I don’t know who else I can trust.”

Well that was it. If that didn’t work then he must not really love her, probably never truly did, and she might as well give up on him. 

————————————————————— 

There was a knot in his throat and a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach as he listened to her last voice mail. She had no idea that her voice mails are what had gotten him through the last three months. 

And now she might be in trouble. He thought it was probably a lie. But he couldn’t risk it. He had to protect her. He felt new waves of guilt for leaving her for this long. Even if she couldn’t love him, he still loved her. And he’d do anything to keep her safe. 

He argued with himself about whether to call her back. Then he took a drink and picked up the phone.

—————————————————————

“Frank???” she was afraid to hope.

“Laurel, are you ok?” He almost sounded like he was in pain.

“Yeah, I mean I think so… I just need you. I need a place to go. It’s my father…”

“You know I can take care of him. Just say the word.”

“No Frank, just tell me where you are? And I know we can figure this out together. I just need to go somewhere safe.”

So there it was. She probably wasn’t in any real danger. But if she were he’d never be able to live with himself. He thought about teasing Her about it, but knew then he might lose her forever.

“I can get you to a safe place and then we’ll figure this out.”

“With you Frank. That’s the only place I’ll be safe. 

“OK, princess…”


	6. Chapter 6

Laurel hesitated for a moment before she lightly knocked on the motel door. She was nervous, excited, but also afraid to let herself believe he would actually be here, that she might actually see him again. 

She didn't know yet what she would say. Would she show him how mad she was that he left without saying a word to her, or how sorry she was for being the reason he had to leave, or try to convince him to come back, that everything would somehow be alright? She wasn't sure she believed that herself, so she knew he wouldn't buy it. 

He didn't answer. Maybe he realized she had lied and wouldn’t even be here. Her heart sunk as she knocked again. This time almost immediately she heard the door being unlocked. She held her breath, suddenly a little nervous that it might not even be Frank on the other side of that door. 

But it was. 

"Frank" was all she could say in that moment, she was so relieved to see his face again. 

She moved towards him. Her hands went to his chest as his arms wrapped around her "Laurel" she barely heard him say as he pulled the door shut behind her and kissed her. It was a more intense kiss than she'd ever felt from him, even with all they'd been through. And she tried to return it with everything she had. In that moment, nothing else mattered. All that mattered was that she had found him, that he was ok, and the way it felt to be in his arms...

\----------------------------———————————

It had been three months since he'd kissed her, and since he'd done more than kissed her. He didn't think he'd ever been this hard or wanted her so badly. It took every ounce of self control he possessed not to tear her clothes off and make love to her. But even though that was at the forefront of his mind, there was a small voice in the back saying "she's disgusted by you, she doesn't really love you, she deserves more". 

So even though his hands roamed over her whole body, getting reaquainted with every inch of her that he knew so well, he didn’t let them unbutton her blouse or slide down her panties. He just kept kissing her as if he was starving for her.

\-----—————————————————————

After coming up for air Laurel had a minute to wonder why he only kissed her, and why they had stopped kissing. Didn't he want her as much as she wanted him? She looked confused and searched his eyes, too embarrassed to ask what was on her mind. That's when he smiled at her, that lazy teasing smile. 

"C'mon princess, the last time I saw you, you made it pretty clear we were through. You think I'm just going to take you right now?" 

She turned red and her confused look turned to one of anger. He knew how she'd react of course. And it took more than a little effort to sound nonchalant about it. 

"I thought..." Her anger died down, and she decided on honesty. "I thought maybe you missed me as much as I missed you."

He groaned audibly, a man only has so much self restraint when it comes to the woman he loves. "Come here" he pulled her into him and kissed her again. This time she pulled off his tshirt and he returned the favor. 

————————————————————————

Neither one of them lasted very long. And as much as Frank wanted to spend more time kissing her entire body and taking her there again, he knew they needed to talk. She was curled up against him with her head under his chin, face against his chest. He kissed the top of her head and decided to soak in this moment a little longer, before facing reality. 

He finally decided to break the silence. "Laurel".  
She didn't respond.

"Laurel"  
He pulled back to look into her eyes and saw that she was asleep. He noticed the dark circles under her eyes and it tugged at his heart. She nuzzled up against him in her sleep and he wrapped his arms tighter around her, never wanting to let go again. 

"I love you" he said quietly, as he closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of her hair. Within seconds he was asleep as well.


	7. Chapter 7

Laurel woke up first. It all felt like a dream, but Frank’s hard warm body beside her was real. She studied his face, each line, the dark circles under his eyes. These past few months hadn’t been easy for him either. He had a pained look on his face as he slept, so she decided to wake him.

She touched his face and saw him relax a little, then she kissed him. A long, slow kiss. He groaned and rolled on top of her kissing her back, then lifted himself away enough to say “good morning, princess” he smiled at her, “so I wasn’t dreaming.” 

She smiled back at him, as if nothing had ever changed between them. Then the light in her eyes faded a little and reality began to sink in again for both of them. He stroked her cheek, “I am so sorry I hurt you.” 

A tear ran down her cheek. He brushed it away with his finger. “You mean more to me than anything.” She closed her eyes and leaned into his hand. He gave her a softer kiss and then laid down beside her and held her close.

“I’m sorry I’m not the man you deserve.”

She thought about that for a minute. “You haven’t been...all this time that you had been lying to me. It’s like what I thought we had wasn’t reality.... But tell me the rest. I want to know.”

He had wanted to explain it to her before. But now he wasn’t sure he could. What if she looked at him that way again? Betrayed... disgusted.. what if she decided to leave him for good? He was ready to tell her before. But now he’d lost his nerve.

“Frank,” she ran her fingers lightly through his hair and down his jawline. “I need to know.” 

He closed his eyes and swallowed the lump in his throat. “Ok...”

Then, several minutes of silence followed. Laurel wondered if he was going to follow through, but she gave him more time. 

As the minutes went on it just felt harder to speak. He sat up and poured himself a drink. That helped a little. He looked away from her. That helped too. 

He began to tell her the whole story:   
What kind of man his father had been. How Sam and Annalise had rescued him from life in prison and given him a second chance. How Annalise had treated him like trash, and the trip to Ohio. 

He paused before he told her about the suitcase full of cash. He felt sick to his stomach remembering the decision he’d made. He tried to explain it from his perspective, but did it matter?

“Laurel, I had no idea.” He looked up at her then, tears in his eyes. “I swear I had no idea, and it was my fault she lost her baby! It was my fault! It was my fault....”

He was crying then. She’d never seen him like this. Part of her was disgusted at the choice he’d made. Part of her was angry at him for Annalise. And part of her felt sorry that he’d had to carry the guilt his whole life.   
She touched his arm to let him know she didn’t hate him. He wiped his face with the back of his hand and looked at the floor before he continued. 

“I wanted to tell Annalise what I’d done. I wanted to tell her it was my fault and how sorry I was. But I told Sam first and he wouldn’t let me. He told me I could never tell her. So after a while it was like I’d never be able to tell her. But he used that against me Laurel.” He looked at her again, a desperate look in his eyes,like he was begging for someone to save him.

He paused again and she let what he’d said sink in. So that’s what Sam blackmailed him with. That’s why Annalise didn’t know. But all the details were running through her mind. 

“She was pregnant,” Laurel stated. But he could tell it was a question. 

“I didn’t know that. He told me she was. And he asked me to do it then, but I told him I wouldn’t. I told him I wouldn’t do that to a child. That I wouldn’t have another baby’s blood on my hands ever again.”

Laurel looked confused. “But you did!”

“Yeah.... a week later when he told me she’d had an abortion. I believed him. He threatened to tell Annalise everything. He told me this girl deserved to die for taking he baby’s life, when someone like Annalise would have died to keep their baby alive. I was angry too when I thought about that.”

“I found out later of course that he was lying about the abortion. And Laurel I’d never hated myself so much. I thought nothing in life could be as bad as what I’d done to Annalise. But to do it again? I could have killed Sam myself. But in the end it was all my fault again. All my choice. And I’ve had to live with those choices. Nothing has made any of it better.”

He took another drink.

She soaked it all in. She knew he was telling the truth. She didn’t know what to say.

“You Laurel. You are the only thing good in my life. You make me wish I wasn’t that man. But I can’t take any of it back. And I can’t take back that I lied to you all this time. You deserve someone better. But I love you anyway. And I promise I’ll never let anyone hurt you, no matter what.”

She let those words sink in too. It scared her a little actually. The lengths he might go to to protect her. “Don’t ever do something so stupid again, even if you think it’s for me, ever, ok?” He thought about that and couldn’t imagine any way that he’d ever have to choose a baby’s life over Laurel’s. “OK princess.”

They sat there in silence for a while. He gave her time to process what he’d said. But her silence was killing him. He’d laid it all out there. Now she knew who he really was. 

Laurel hadn’t known what Frank was going to say. But she hadn’t expected this. She was feeling a mix of emotions and trying to reconcile everything in her mind. She understood why he had run away. She sort of understood why he had made the choices he’d made. 

But he killed a girl in cold blood. That was a big difference from accidentally causing a death. He hadn’t known about her baby, but he did take that girl’s life. A girl who had also been taken advantage of by Sam, only in a different way. 

And he had kept it from her. She sort of understood that too. But it didn’t change the fact that it changed everything. He wasn’t quite who she thought he was, and their relationship wasn’t quite what she had thought it was. 

He watched her changing facial expressions, none of which were encouraging. But she was still here at least, for now. The silence was too much.

“Laurel, please say something, anything. Even if ya hate me.”

She looked into his eyes. “I don’t hate you... but I am confused.” 

It stung a little, but what did he expect? That she’d declare her love for him after his confession? 

He held her hand. I can never tell you how sorry I am for how all this has hurt you. And not just you... 

He brushed the tears from her face.

“Frank, I don’t know where to go from here. But I don’t want to lose you again.” She looked into his eyes with tears in her own.

That was the best thing she could have said to him right now. “Sweetheart, I’ll never leave you like that again.” He pulled her close and held her right. “Never” he whispered against her hair. She pressed into him as he held her.


End file.
